Once Was Our Tree
by silvershoelace
Summary: Mako finds himself in the park and finds something he wished he didn't see.


Mako's day could not get any worse. His day began finding Bolin eating the last piece of his favorite fire dumplings that he had purposely saved the previous night for his lunch today. But his growing little brother, _little my ass, _decided to chow down on them this morning for breakfast.

"_Nothing's too spicy for a growing boy, bro!"_ Was what Bolin said when he caught him this morning.

He sighed. At least he had a date with Asami today.

But that could not have gone any better. For some odd reason, Asami told him that they should stop seeing each other and instead focus on the things they really want.

"_I'm going to be working closely with my dad for now. And you have the tournament." _ But he knew she was lying. Asami was always confident and graceful – traits that betray her when she lies. He had asked her what the real reason was and she responded, "_You'll see it soon enough."_

Why was everything going against him suddenly? He didn't know how or when, but he found himself in the park. He looked around. There was a group of teenagers near the bridge huddled. They looked like they were enacting probending matches. Near the fountain, there was a little girl with eyes so blue, they reminded him immediately of Korra.

Unbeknownst to him, his lips had formed a smile. He had found himself thinking of Korra more often than usual. He was happy that the unfortunate ending with Amon only fazed her for a short while. She missed 2 days of practice after that night. Then she showed up for early morning practice like nothing happened. He noticed she was more focused, more eager to learn and minimized her complaints. He didn't say anything, but he was glad. At least things involving Korra was going okay. He can count on Korra, she won't let him and Bolin down.

His days were filled with morning practice with Bolin and Korra. And then he would go to the power plant for work and find Asami waiting for him outside. They'd stay out until night time where she would drop him off on her Vespa. It wasn't until Bolin pointed something out that he began to think otherwise regarding Korra.

"_Hey bro. D'ya think Korra wants out of the team?"_ Mako turned to Bolin, brows raised. It seemed like a ridiculous question. And Bolin read his expression. _"I mean, look at it. Before, she would spend all her free time here with us. She's here for morning practice and then comes back after her airbending lessons. But now, she comes in and leaves as soon as our time's up without even so much as 'Bye guys!'."_ Bolin walked towards the window and stared at the island in front of them. _"You think she's just showing up because she gave us her word?"_

Mako contemplated it the whole night. He and Bolin spent a significant amount of time just looking at the island before them. He wonders if there's something bothering Korra or if something happened that she hasn't told them.

After that conversation, he found himself thinking more and more of Korra. Every moment that he can stop and think, Korra would fill his entire mind. And he found that he liked it. His image of Korra was gradually changing from an obnoxious bender to a really dependable friend. A very beautiful friend. _Hey, wait! Stop it._ He had to focus. Korra is the Avatar. She has the whole world's weight on her shoulders. He, on the other hand, has his hands full with Bolin. How can he add Korra and the entire world to his list? Impossible. But he knew it was already too late. He looked up to the sky. Maybe that was what Asami was talking about. What he really wanted wasn't Asami, it wasn't the winnings for the probending matches. It was Korra, avatar and all. He finally realized his true feelings for the young water tribe girl.

As he looked down, he found the little blue-eyed girl nowhere in sight. He looked around hoping to catch a glimpse of her to make sure she didn't get lost. As his eyes scanned the area, he found the equalist protester in his usual spot yelling absurdities over his megaphone. He then spotted long and thick puff of white near the tree where Korra and him fell asleep the night Bolin went missing. Curious, he walked around and sure enough, it was Naga.

Surprise hit him like a bolt of lightning as he found the very person that he was just thinking about. _The one I love._ Before him, Mako's heart broke for the second time that day – different heartache, a much more painful one that knocks his core down. For before him, laid the woman he loves. Leaning towards her right, her head resting on someone's shoulders, sound asleep. Her mouth formed a small 'o' almost seeming like she was pouting in her sleep. His eyes trailed down and found her hands envelope the man's left hand in hers. Mako took the courage to look at the man his beloved was currently attached to. He had unruly black hair and wore bored eyes that were focused on the book he was reading with his free hand. His cheek was resting against Korra's head. From time to time, he would turn to check if she was still asleep and when content to see that she was, he would place tiny kisses on her temple before resuming reading his book.

It doesn't take a genius to see what Mako saw. He had to end whatever it is that just sparked in him. He wished he didn't realize his feelings and that he didn't get attached. He wished it was him sitting with Korra right now. He wished she loved him. What once was their time at the very same tree, now just became a sweet memory for the young firebender.


End file.
